AQP1 expression in the nerve fibers of human tooth pulp

초록

This study aimed to investigate aquaporin-1 (AQP1) expression and distribution in human tooth pulp nerves and examine its potential role in nociceptive processing. Immunofluorescence staining and electron microscopic immunohistochemistry were employed to examine AQP1. We observed that AQP1-immunopositive (AQP1+) nerves in human tooth pulp traveled in nerve bundles at the root portion and branched extensively within the subodontoblastic plexus of Raschkow. These nerves extended through the odontoblast layer. Furthermore, 62% (214/345) of the AQP1+ nerves coexpressed calcitonin gene-related peptide. Under electron microscopy, AQP1 immunoreactivity was detected within the axoplasm of both myelinated and unmyelinated axons in the radicular pulp and the central area of the coronal pulp. In the peripheral pulp, AQP1 immunoreactivity was frequently observed near the axolemma of unmyelinated axons. These findings suggest that AQP1+ nerves are essential in sensory perception and nociceptive processing in human tooth pulp.

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